


A Tale of Two Bens

by fiona_cat2004



Series: Family Is More Than Blood [10]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Finn is the only grown up, Fluff, Force Sensitivity, Force-Sensitive Original Character(s), M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Rey and Poe bicker like siblings, Rey is always hungry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:20:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25043056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiona_cat2004/pseuds/fiona_cat2004
Summary: Rey helps Finn and Poe determine if their son is Force sensitive, as she also ponders her relationship with the Force ghost of Ben Solo.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Family Is More Than Blood [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656739
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	A Tale of Two Bens

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how Force sensitivity (and Force ghosts) works in the SW universe, but I hope my idea is plausible!

“How long are you going to stay?” Kes asked, as Rey took her third helping of spicy rice. He was fully recovered from his accident and had kept his promise to make the family a big, fancy dinner to celebrate his return to the ranch.

“A while,” Rey said, swallowing a mouthful of bread. “I found some interesting stuff on Afel and it will take me awhile to translate it all. I might as well do it here where I can eat like this on a regular basis.”

Poe shook his head. “Sorry, Dad, she’s like a stray tooka,” he said. “You feed her and she’ll never leave.”

Rey mimed a Force choke hold at him, but Poe just rolled his eyes. 

“It’s fine,” Kes said. “I don’t mind if Rey wants to stay around. I like having someone to cook for.”

“And Rey likes to eat,” said Finn. “A match made in heaven.”

Rey glared at him. “I thought _you_ might stand up for me,” she pouted. “Being a fellow Jedi and all.”

“I’m not a Jedi,” Finn pointed out. “Jedi can’t have attachments.”

Rey scoffed. “I told you I’m changing the rules,” she said. “In the New Jedi Order, you can have any kind of relationships you want.”

“Even with invisible Force ghosts?” Poe teased.

“I’m telling him you said that,” she shot back. Ben wasn’t always around, but he did spend quite a bit of time with her, especially when she was studying the old Jedi tomes and relics. “And he’s only invisible if you aren’t Force-sensitive, you uncultured fly boy.”

“Excuse me, Miss Desert Scavenger,” Poe replied. 

Finn shook his head. “Why do I feel like I have four kids?,” he said to Kes.

“Because you do,” Kes said. “I used to feel bad that Poe didn’t have any siblings, but now I’m glad I didn’t have to live through this kind of bickering on a daily basis.”

“Finn’s the one who had to drag his sister into the family,” Poe retorted. “I would have been happy dropping her off on Jakku or some other ball of sand, but he insisted we keep her.”

“You love me,” Rey said. “Admit it.”

Poe shook his head. “Nope, I only love people named Dameron,” he said. “Skywalkers … meh.”

“Oh, I see, you’re just still miffed that I didn’t pick your last name like Finn did,” she said. “Petty, Poe, very petty.”

“I didn’t pick his last name,” Finn interjected. “He gave it to me. And I believe it was _your_ idea that I start using it even before we got married, Ms. Skywalker.”

“Besides,” Poe said, “if there had been one more Dameron on the Resistance base, Connix would have shot us all and defected to the First Order.”

They all burst into laughter, except for the kids. Shara rolled her eyes as if to say “Stupid grownups,” while Ben just kept eating. Rey felt a kinship with the little boy that went beyond the fact that she’d been his surrogate mother. Unlike opinionated Shara, Ben ate everything put before him without complaint. And after Poe and Finn had shared their suspicions that Ben might be Force-sensitive, she felt even closer to him. 

Which wasn’t to say she didn’t love Shara to pieces; _everyone_ loved Shara. It was just that she understood Ben in a way that she couldn’t understand Shara. Shara Dameron had been adored since the moment she was born, and Rey … well, she knew her parents had loved her, enough to send her away for her own safety, but she didn’t have the memories that Shara was building up, of being surrounded by people who wanted only the best for her and would do anything to make it happen. To Rey, Shara seemed to live a charmed life. It was exactly what everyone in the Resistance had been fighting for, a galaxy where children could be children, and grow up in safe, loving homes and communities. It still hurt, though.

Finn understood. He’d grown up in the First Order, an even worse childhood than hers on Jakku, but he had Poe and Kes and his children now. While Rey knew she was considered part of the family, she still felt set apart from them. Maybe it was in her nature to be solitary, after growing up on Jakku; maybe it was her relationship (if it could be called that) with Ben Solo that made her feel as if she didn’t belong. 

********************************  
“Do you think you can really tell if he’s Force-sensitive at this young an age?” Finn asked. He and Rey were sitting on the step watching the kids play in the backyard. Ben’s toy bantha enclosure was complete and now they were working on an expansion for the fathier figurines Jannah had sent them.

“Maybe,” Rey said, thoughtfully. She’d been quiet lately, which had Finn worried. Something was going on with her. “The Jedi used to take younglings very early, not much older than Ben, so it must be possible. I just don’t know exactly how they tested them.” She sighed. “Did they have a standard test or were there Jedi who specialized in recognizing Force sensitivity? I haven’t found anything in the literature about that.”

“And if he is, do you think he needs to be trained?” Finn went on. “I mean, he will eventually, if he wants to develop his powers, but do we have the right to make that decision for him?”

Rey leaned forward, resting her chin on her fist as she watched the children play. “I don’t know,” she said. “I think maybe the Djarins have the right idea, letting Ad’ika just be a kid. Obviously, Ben will be ready for training long before Ad’ika is, but why not let him enjoy being a child as long as possible?”

“I know what you mean,” Finn said. “I want him to have what I didn’t. What the Jedi didn’t have … a normal life.”

“Whatever that means,” Rey said. “It didn’t work out all that well for Leia or Luke or Ben …”

“Stop,” Finn said. “Stop second guessing everything.” He laid his hand over hers and squeezed. “You’re going to figure it out, and I’ll be here to help you. I might not be a full-fledged Jedi, or whatever we’re going to call it, but I promise to tell you if you’re heading in the wrong direction. So will Poe.”

“That’s what Ben keeps telling me,” she admitted. “And Luke and Leia, too.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I just don’t want to mess things up. The Jedi failed once, even though they had the best intentions. So did the Old Republic, and the New Republic …” She trailed off and Finn let go of her hand so he could put his arm around her.

“You will do fine,” he insisted. “You are the strongest Jedi in ages. You withstood the temptation to join Kylo Ren and you withstood the temptation to join Palpatine. You will do the right thing.”

Poe came out the back door just then, with three bottles of beer in his hand. “Hey, trying to move in on my man?,” he said, handing one to Rey. He settled down on the steps on Finn’s other side, passing off a beer to him and cracking his own open.

“He’s not my type,” Rey said.

“More importantly, she’s not _my_ type,” Finn said, bumping Poe with his shoulder. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their beers. Shara ran over once she noticed that Poe had come out. “Papa!,” she cried.

“What, princess?” Poe said, setting down his beer so he could pick her up and plop her in his lap.

“I need some string and beads and silver wire and feathers,” she said, ticking each item off on her fingers.

“What for?” Poe asked.

“To make bridles for the fathiers,” she said as if it was the only obvious reason for requesting those items. “They are going to have a circus and the riders can’t stay on without bridles.”

“What about saddles?” Finn asked. 

“Bareback riders, Daddy,” Shara said, rolling her eyes. “It’s a circus!”

At a neighbor’s birthday party, there had been a holovid of a circus performance on Kithi and Shara had been obsessed with it ever since.

“Oh, okay,” Finn said. Shara turned back to Poe and started rattling off the colors she needed. Rey nudged Finn’s side and motioned with her bottle toward Ben. 

“Who’s he talking to?,” she asked quietly. Finn turned his attention to his son, who was still working on the fathier enclosure, digging diligently in the dirt with his miniature shovel and spade. He was chatting away, but his back was to the toys. He kept looking up at an empty spot as if he was involved in a conversation.

“Ben!” Finn called. “Come here a minute.”

The boy dropped his tools and ran over to them. Finn scooped him into his lap. “Who were you talking to, buddy?”

“The man,” Ben said matter of factly 

“What man?” Finn asked. Ben shrugged.

Rey leaned forward. “What does the man look like, Ben?” The boy shrugged again. “Is he tall?” Ben nodded. “Taller than Daddy or shorter?”

“Taller,” Ben said. He started to squirm in Finn’s arms and it was clear he wasn’t going to stay to be interrogated for long.

“What is he wearing?” Rey asked. “What color is his hair?”

Ben shrugged again. “Clothes. Just dark clothes. Dark hair. He’s just a man.”

“A nice man or a mean man?” Finn asked.

“Nice,” Ben said firmly. “He said he likes my banthas.”

“Does he have a name?” Rey asked carefully.

Ben shrugged again. “Wanna go play now,” he said.

“Okay, just one more question,” Finn said. “Did he ask you any questions?”

Ben shook his head. “No, we just talk about Rey. And banthas. And the lady.”

“The lady? What lady?” Rey asked.

“The lady who comes at night,” Ben said. He wiggled out of Finn’s lap, and started to run off. Rey reached out and laid her hand on his little arm.

“Can you tell me about the lady?,” she asked quietly.

Ben huffed a little, but he stopped and turned toward her. “She’s pretty. She tells me about Papa.”

Rey let him go and Finn watched his son run back to his excavations. “A lady who tells him about Poe?,” he asked quietly. “Do you think he’s seeing Shara Bey?”

“Or Leia,” Rey said. “The man might be Ben … or Luke, but Luke’s shorter than you. Luke knew Shara, but Ben didn’t. If it’s Ben, the lady is probably Leia.”

“Can you find out?” Finn asked. He could see Force ghosts if he was under the Force Tree, but they were vague, except for Leia, and he’d only seen her once without Rey nearby.

“I’ll ask Ben tonight,” she said. “I’ll go have dinner with Kes and make a visit to the Tree. Our connection is strongest there.”

***************************************  
After another delicious dinner (seriously, if he wasn’t old enough to be her father she’d marry Kes just for the food), Rey walked down the path to the Force Tree. She still remembered the first time she’d seen it, when Poe had brought her and Finn to meet his father. She still gasped every time she stepped under its canopy, feeling the strength of the Force permeating the air.

She walked up to the trunk and laid her hand on the smooth bark. “Be with me,” she said softly, closing her eyes for a moment as she tapped into the Force. When she opened her eyes, a faint blue light suffused the air underneath the Tree, and Ben was there, smiling at her. As always, he was somewhat translucent, but here under the Force Tree, he was more solid than usual. His arms wrapped around her and it was almost like hugging a living person. Almost, but not quite.

“I wondered how long it would take you to come down here,” Ben said into her hair.

“I’ve been busy,” she said. “The boys needed me to help with Kes and the kids.”

Ben laughed gently. “They always come first, don’t they?”

“Well,” Rey said, “you don’t need me, do you?”

“I might not need you, but I _want_ you,” Ben admitted. He pressed a kiss against her temple. “I know I can’t really have you, not until your life has run its course, but I’ll take what I can get for now.”

She leaned into his embrace. Growing up on Jakku, she’d never had anyone but herself to rely on. It left her a bit stand-offish with others. Finn, who had grown up encased in Stormtrooper armor, was touch starved, and had startled her with his constant need to hold hands or otherwise be in physical contact with others. Even Poe was more demonstrative, with the Dameron family penchant for fierce hugs. They had taught her the comforts of touch, but being with Ben was different. Here, under the Tree, she could almost trick herself into thinking he was physically there.

“As enjoyable as this is,” she said after a long moment, “I came here to ask you something.”

Ben stepped back slightly, so he could look at her. It actually helped the illusion that he was really there; when she was pressed against his chest, it was all too obvious that he had no heartbeat. “Ben, right?,” he said.

“Have you been talking to him?”

Ben nodded. “Yes. I was watching you one day, just checking in to see how you were doing watching the kids, and he saw me.”

“You’ve been spying on me?” She arched an eyebrow at him.

“Just checking in now and then,” he protested. “Mom does the same thing. So does Uncle Luke, although he’d never admit it to you. It’s not weird … apparently all the Jedi do it.” He chuckled. “Luke said his father and Obi-Wan and Yoda used to drive him nuts sometimes when he was out there on Ach-To.”

“So Ben saw you?,” she prompted.

“Yes. He’s an interesting little guy,” Ben said. He gestured toward the bench that Kes had built near the trunk of the tree. They sat. “He’s talked to Mom, as well.”

Rey nodded. “We figured as much. He said ‘the lady’ tells him about his Papa.”

Ben shook his head ruefully. “I think Poe Dameron was a better son to her than I ever was.” Rey took his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Ben saw her one night and she didn’t want to scare him, so she started telling him about Poe.”

“So he’s Force sensitive,” she said.

Ben shrugged. “In a way. Mom thinks he’s more empathic than anything else. We don’t sense the kind of power in him that you and I have, or even what his father has.”

“Finn isn’t as strong as I am,” Rey agreed. “But he’s better at sensing things than I am. I can control the Force but he reads it. You think Ben is the same way?”

Ben nodded. “Yes.” He slipped his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. “So tell Poe there’s no need to worry about his son following my path.”

Rey sighed. One of the few issues in her life was the bad feeling that still existed between Ben and Poe. “I wish you could talk to him,” she said softly. “He’d realize that you aren’t Kylo Ren anymore.”

Ben squeezed her against his side. “It’s okay,” he said. “I don’t expect him to forgive me for what I did to him. Honestly, I’d be surprised if he did. And I still can’t believe he let you and Finn name his son after me.”

“He’ll do anything Finn asks him to,” Rey said. “Believe me, it was all him. And Finn made sure to remind him that you were named after another great Jedi, one who clearly did _not_ turn to the Dark Side.”

They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company. It was not often they were able to be physically together, even in such an intangible way. Hugs and kisses were as far as they could go. It was enough for Rey, for now, but she wondered if someday she might want more.

***************************************  
“Empathic?” Poe asked. It made sense, given Ben’s reaction to Kes’s accident. 

Rey nodded. “Yes, and he can see Force ghosts, even if they aren’t actively projecting.”

“Projecting?” Poe asked. He really was at a loss when discussing Force related things.

“It’s hard to explain, but the Jedi who have passed on can observe us whenever they want, but they usually have to use the Force to project their image to us. And only Force-sensitive individuals can see them even then. But Ben can see them whenever they’re there, without them trying to be seen,” she said. “Does that make sense?”

Poe nodded, even though he was still a bit confused. “So when Ben — your Ben — came to check on you, he wasn’t trying to be seen and Ben — my Ben — saw him anyway.”

Rey nodded. “Exactly! And he saw Leia when she came to check on you.”

Poe rubbed his hand through his hair, hoping Rey couldn’t feel how embarrassed he felt. He was sure Leia Organa had better things to do in the afterlife (or where ever it was the Jedi went after they died) than worry about Poe Dameron. “She talks to Ben — your Ben — about you,” Rey said quietly. “She really did love you, Poe.”

“Yeah, well, I loved her, too,” he admitted. “We all did. The Resistance wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without her at the helm.”

“It did pretty good with you at the helm, too,” she said, bumping his shoulder with her own. 

Poe humphed. All he’d done was pick up the reins and try not to crash too badly. Even so, he couldn’t have done it without Finn. “We just finished what she started,” he said. “So, what does it mean that Ben is empathic? Does he need any special training or anything?”

“I don’t think so,” Rey said. “I think we’ll have to remind him that not everyone can see the people he sees, and be mindful that he’ll pick up on emotions, so he might need some extra compassion now and then. But I don’t think he’ll develop the type of powers I have, or even what Finn has.”

Poe let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in. Although he understood why Finn and Rey had wanted to name the boy Ben, it was a constant reminder to him of the man who had tortured him and been responsible for so much destruction and death in the galaxy. Ever since Ben had shown an inkling of Force sensitivity, the thought had been lurking in the back of his mind: what if his son had the abilities that Ben Solo had? Could he and Finn keep their son from turning away from all they had fought for? After all, Han Solo and Leia Organa couldn’t keep their son from choosing the Dark Side and they were bona fide heroes.

Rey put her arm around him and squeezed. “He won’t be like Kylo Ren,” she said softly. “Even if he did have those powers, he has you and Finn and me and Kes and —- yes, Ben and Leia — to remind him how to be a good person. I know you find it hard to believe, but Ben is good now. Kylo Ren is dead and gone.”

“I want to believe you,” Poe managed to say. His throat was strangely tight, his jaws clenched at the sound of Kylo Ren’s name. “I really do. I just … I just can’t make that leap.”

“He doesn’t blame you,” she said. “Neither do I.”

Poe closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Next time you talk to him, ask him how often his mom spies on me,” he said. “I want to know if I need to start wearing a bathrobe when I get up to use the ‘fresher at night.”

Rey laughed and poked him in the ribs. “She just wants to make sure you’re doing alright,” she said. “And she thinks of you as a son, so don’t worry, she’s not trying to get a free show.”

“Ben isn’t hanging around here at night, is he?” Poe asked. “Or does he just stalk you?”

“Trust me, Ben does not want to see you walking around with no clothes on,” she said. 

“Because he’s busy watching you walk around with no clothes on?” Poe nudged her with his elbow. 

“Hmm … I’ll have to ask him,” Rey said thoughtfully. 

Poe spluttered. He’d expected her to blush or tell him to stop being gross. “Just … just don’t do it here,” he said. “I mean, if he wants to haunt the Falcon and ogle you there, that’s your business, but not in my house, okay?”

“Yes, Papa,” she said. “I’ll keep my ghost boyfriend out of your house.” She sighed. “Not like we can really do anything, anyway. He’s not very solid unless we’re under the Force Tree.”

“I thought Force ghosts could move things,” Poe said. “Didn’t you say Luke raised his X-Wing from the ocean? And tossed you a lightsaber?”

“They can move things, using the Force,” she explained, “but they can’t really touch things. When we’re under the Force Tree, I can feel Ben’s arms around me when he hugs me, and feel his lips against mine when we kiss, but anywhere else, it’s more like … a _memory_ of being touched.”

“Huh,” Poe said. “Can’t be much fun for you, then.”

She shrugged. “It’s enough, for now,” she said. 

He turned to look at her, staring at her until she turned to face him and look him in the eye. “You’ll find someone,” he said firmly. “If that’s what you want, when you’re ready, you’ll find someone. And if not — if what you have with Ben is enough — then you’ll have that.”

“Thank you,” she said, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll never have what you and Finn have, I know that, but for now, I have more than enough love in my life. You and Finn and Shara and Ben and Kes and BB-8 and Chewie and … friendship is something I never knew existed until I met Finn. I’m still getting used to it.”

“Well, just know that if he ever does anything to hurt you — like take up with some other Jedi ghost, or stop showing up when you need him — I’ll kick his ass, even though I can’t see him,” Poe said. 

She laughed, quietly at first, then harder. “Oh, dear, that was such a brotherly thing to say,” she said when she could talk again. “And Ben was saying you were a better son to Leia than he ever was … which kind of makes you his brother, too.”

“And makes your relationship with him kind of gross,” Poe said with a smirk. 

“Well, technically, I think I’m more Finn’s sister, which makes you my brother in law. But that would make me Ben’s sister in law, too …,” she furrowed her brow. “No wonder the ancient Jedi were against attachments!”

“I still think your idea is much better,” Poe said. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m married to one of your students.” He stood up, suppressing the groan that wanted to escape his lips. _Damn, I’m getting old_ , he thought. He held out his hand to Rey. “Come on, let’s go see what Finn’s making for dinner,” he said.

As she stepped inside, he paused and scanned the empty backyard. “If you’re out there, Ben,” he said, “just make her happy, okay?”

He hoped Ben Solo had heard him, but just in case, he was going to tell his son to relay the message the next time he saw him.


End file.
